


For You, Dandy.

by ItsaMePatches



Series: Pre-Chipspeech Tales [3]
Category: Chipspeech
Genre: F/M, Gen, Loss of Limbs, Other, Slow Build, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-11 16:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4444160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsaMePatches/pseuds/ItsaMePatches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ex-professor Otto Mozer successfully got an assistant for himself and a rather interesting one, to boot. His name is Dandy -- a rather tall man who looks as though he's stuck in the 1800s for some reason. During the days they work together, Otto feels himself becoming more and more comfortable around him. This is the first time he ever felt this way towards anyone. What's this? Dandy wants to fall in love with somebody...?</p><p>After the appearance of one dear lady, things will cause a possible downfall for everyone involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Calm

* * *

 

 

* * *

 

 

     Saturday had arrived and for Otto Mozer, this would be the first time he went out for pure "fun".

     "I was thinking..." Dandy said with a murmur as he shifted through Otto's closet for some clothes, "maybe you should wear something more comfortable instead of these clothes."

     Otto frowned at him from his seat on the bed. "What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing or the ones in there?"

     He shot a smile to Otto, a rather iffy one. "They're not exactly _fashionable_ for a fun night out, Otto. You can wear something of mine if you'd like to. I've got the _perfect_ set of clothes."

     "...are you saying your fashion sense is good?"  
     "Of course it is!"

     "Do all of your clothes have buttons all over the place?"  
     "Well...yeah, mostly."  
     "An overkill of buttons is _not_ fashionable. It's the 1980s, not 1880s."

     Dandy puffed his cheeks at that. "What's wrong with my clothes having buttons?"

     "There's nothing wrong with buttons," he replied, "I'm saying that yours have way too many."

     He huffed.

     "I'll show you. You're going to wear some of my older clothes since you're obviously a lot smaller than me. You'll actually look sharper than the things you're in now, I guarantee it."  
     "...you're sure you want me to wear your things, Dandy?"

     Dandy shrugged, saying, "Why not? Is it because we only met a few weeks ago? If you're not comfortable with the idea, we can go shopping--"

     "No, it's okay," he interrupted him with a wave. "I'm just surprised that you're fine with me putting on your stuff _because_ we met not so long ago..."

     "Oh." He blinked, but then he told Otto with a smile, "I trust you, that's why. You seem like a pretty nice person -- you're just not really sociable."

     Dandy trusted him...? And the man believed he was kind? Wow.

     "Oh," it was now the ex-professor's turn to say that. Suddenly, he yelped when he was pulled from the bed without warning and tugged down the hall by Dandy. "Are we heading to your room now?"

     "Yeah, we need to get dressed!"  
     "...I'll...change in my bedroom once you give me something to wear."  
     "That's fine, too."

 

* * *

 

 

     "Do you think you should've shaved?"  
     "No, why?"

     "Because that facial stubble is kind of messy," Dandy responded with the point of his pinkie.

     The two men were in the bathroom, fixing themselves up before Dandy would drive them to wherever the tall man had in mind. Otto was lucky that the clothes didn't sag _too much_ off his body like he expected them to be due to the two feet in height difference; however, the black pants _were_ a bit troublesome and had to be held up high with a belt. Otto, as a way to distract himself from staring at Dandy whilst he adjusted the collar of his navy blue top, fiddled with the red vest he was given by the seven foot tall man. Never before had he done this, getting dressed so cleanly for something which wasn't work or school.

     Humorously, he questioned Dandy, "Are you going to say that there's something messy about my hair or glasses next?"

     "No, those are fine," was Dandy's reply.

     Otto's hands went to his glasses to further distract himself from the stare. "You never told me where we were going. Is it a surprise?"

     "Sort of. It's a place I got twice a month. I promise you'll enjoy yourself!"  
     "...well, I'll trust you on that. You seem like you know what's 'fun'."

     Dandy laughed briefly. "Thanks~..."

 

 

* * *

 

 

     The drive took a mere ten minutes which involved mostly Dandy blasting his car radio with the latest pop songs of the year while Otto sat quietly, fiddling with his fingers to entertain himself. Being out and about just for fun rather than for necessary reasons...it felt weird; however, he had to remind himself that almost ever regular person did stuff like this. Once in a while, he'd steal a glance at Dandy whenever he heard the man humming to himself.

     "I'm surprised you're listening to this station instead of an 'oldies' one," Otto commented with a tiny smile.

     "Why's that?"  
     "Everything that you have seems pretty old, even _you_ look like you popped out from the early nineteen hundreds."

     Instead of denying it, Dandy puffed his cheeks for the second time that day and said without falter, "Maybe I did."

     Otto quirked an eyebrow, but he remained quiet.

     "Say, Otto?"  
     "Yeah?"  
     "You have a lot of novels laying around at the house. Do you like reading a lot?"

     Oh, guess the dandy man beside him was trying to spark a conversation. "That's pretty much all I do during my free time." The ex-professor ran a hand through the right part of his hair, ignoring the stinging sensation from the injury he sustained after falling again a week or two ago. "Why?"

     "I was curious," he replied. "I saw a few of them at your workstation...they look interesting. Is it okay if I read them some day?"

     He paused.

     "...which...novels did you see?"  
     "I forgot."

     Hopefully Dandy only saw his various science-fiction books, because if he saw his gay erotica novels, Otto knew he would either scream or feel incredibly embarrassed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

     Dandy opened the door to the large, neon-coloured building and let Otto in. Otto hesitantly entered with his ears immediately being filled with the sound of people laughing and talking. Through the noise, Otto could tell that [Halls and Oates's " _Out of Touch_ "](https://youtu.be/u02tycroA30?t=16s) was beginning to play. Typical scene for a nightclub around this time of the day. It was a bit of a "culture shock" for Otto to be in an area with so many people like this, but he wasn't going to admit it to Dandy.

     ...now what?

     Dandy wrapped an arm around the shorter man's shoulder, causing him to jump from the touch. "Did you want to have a drink or anything?"

     His eyes glanced to the dance floor which was in the middle of the establishment and then up at Dandy. "I...guess?"

     ' _Wow, he wasn't kidding when he said he'd never done this before. He looks clueless..._ ' Dandy thought. "Come on, this way," he said loud enough for Otto to hear his words before he led him to one of the vacant tables which were bolted behind a metal rail. "Sit here, I'll be back with something for us. Did you want a specific drink?"

     "Uh, no...?" He shook his head as he took a seat. "I've never had alcohol before, so...I'll have whatever you're planning on having."

     "Alright. Stay here and relax, Otto. It's our weekend!"

     And Dandy went away, leaving Otto alone with his thoughts whilst his assistant was temporarily gone.

     Well, Dandy certainly liked him and wanted to show him the fun side of things. Hopefully this attempt of Dandy's wasn't going to bite either of them on the ass at the end of the day. He seemed to be a nice, thoughtful person, and it'd be a shame if this attempt at relationship and social building came back at him. Something, however, was making its presence known to Otto. You see, Otto felt there was something about Dandy which appeared to be questionable. Dandy was an interesting person, but Otto couldn't figure out why that was. Is it because all of his possessions were so old fashioned? The way he carried himself was even like that!

     Ever since Dandy spoke of himself to him, the droopy-eyed man felt as though something was off-putting about who he was and his behaviour. Dandy's memory prior to meeting him was partly a blur with the occasional images to give him, at least, an idea of what life was like. The nerdy side of Otto wanted to believe that, perhaps, Dandy _did_ descend to present day U.S. from...whatever area in the 1800s. It would be pretty interesting from a scientific point of view...okay, and in general, a time traveler _would_ be neat.

     Who on earth _was_ Dandy outside of being his assistant? He would have to ask once they got to know each other long enough.

 

 

     Meanwhile, Dandy waited at the counter where the drinks and food were being brought out. His eyes scanned over to the dance floor and felt a smile cross his lips at the people having a good time out there. God, it was great coming here when it was packed. Dandy turned his attention over at Otto, spotting the not-so-social man absentmindedly glancing at the dance floor then back to the table.

     Well, the food wasn't going to be ready for another five minutes...

 

 

     God, this was starting to feel awkward -- sitting here and looking back and forth between the table and the dance floor. Hopefully, Dandy will be back soon...it was a lot less awkward when he wasn't by himself. The song eventually faded and a brand new one came into place. [" _Call Me_ " by Go West](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTenMJW04C8) blasted with its upbeat tone. Around the same time he decided to look back at the floor, he spotted a familiar figure wadding through the crowd to join the dancing.

     "Dandy?" Otto blinked.

     Yep, there he was in the group of people dancing either by themselves or with a fellow person. From what Otto could tell, Dandy was soon lured into a dance with a nearby girl (a cute girl with curly blue hair and a pink headband) and danced with her for a minute, and then they broke apart. As Dandy did a spin on the floor, his eyes caught Otto's in an instant while his smile widened.

     "Oh God..." the ex-professor muttered, "he wants me to get up there with him, doesn't he...?"

     Dandy waved at him, confirming Otto's dread.

     ... _honestly_ though, wasn't he supposed to be getting their drinks?

     Otto, obviously hesitant about doing this, stood from his seat and made his way to the front of the dance floor where Dandy stepped towards to meet him.

     "Never danced either?" Dandy's breath was a bit unsteady from his movements, but nonetheless took hold of Otto's hand.

     "Do I look like the dancing type, Dandy?" Otto allowed himself to be pulled off again by the well-trimmed man. "Be honest."

     Dandy glanced over his shoulder at him. "I guess not?"

     "To answer your question though," he answered, "no, I've never danced. My students wanted me to come dancing with them, but I always said I couldn't."

     They stopped in the middle of the area.

     Otto didn't think he could do this, and by the look of it, Dandy could tell what was going through his head, and so, Dandy kept his hands entwined with the ex-professor's and began moving him in their little spot.

     "Don't worry, I'll help you out. Just let yourself loose!"  
     "I, uh, don't think I can."  
     "Of course you can! It just takes time to feel yourself opening up to the music -- trust me."

     He felt his ears and cheeks heat up from embarrassment as Dandy began dancing with him, twisting and turning him without overdoing it. God, he hoped his glasses stayed in place during their little dance. His eyes went everywhere but where Dandy's face was -- he couldn't bear looking at him at the moment. Dancing wasn't his thing _at all_!

     "I'm surprised you didn't ask about why I didn't come back to our table," Dandy spoke up through the music, which immediately made Otto turn to look at him with ease.

     "Actually, I was going to ask a second before you pulled me out here. What happened?"  
     "They're running a little behind, so our drinks and dinner should be done after this song's over. I hope that's okay."

     Otto nodded. "It is." He changed the subject all of a sudden, commenting, "You looked like you were having fun out here, anyway. Were you?"

     "I sure was!"  
     "...is dancing something you like?"  
     "Correction: I _love_ it~..."

     His brows rose. "I see..."

     Seconds after he said that, the song faded, and the two decided it was time to get their drinks and relax for the rest of the evening.

 

* * *

 

 

     "I hope the drink isn't too frilly to you or anything. I have a preference for the sweet kinds."  
     "Not at all."

     Otto watched Dandy sip at his watermelon martini before deciding to taste his own. As soon as the pink drink entered his mouth, Otto knew that Dandy was right about it being a sweet drink. Three or more of these, and he was certain he would get several cavities.

     Dandy spoke, "Say, Otto?"

     "Yeah?"  
     "I know this is going to come out of the blue, but...you can fix simple machines, right?"  
     "Define 'simple machine' to me."  
     "A parking meter."

     He was about to take a second sip until he heard 'parking meter' being uttered by the man across from him. A parking meter, huh? He sat drink down. "I could do that, but any reason why you want me to?"

     "Not really," he replied, "I just wanted to see what you could do with it."

     Otto took a gulp of his drink, now enjoying the cool slush in his mouth. "I'll do it."

     Dandy smiled for the umpteenth time. "Thanks, Otto. I appreciate it."

     Otto darted his gaze away from his stare and went back to drinking his martini. Him and his dumb handsome face. What was with the odd request, too? Fix a parking meter? Did Dandy do something to it, or was there more to the store than a simple "I'm curious about what you'd do" as an explanation.

     Speaking of the man across from him, Dandy perked up in his seat when another song came on. He got up, downing the rest of his drink in the process, and then he placed the empty glass back on the table. He told Otto, gesturing to the dance floor, "I'm going to go out there for a little bit. Feel free to join if you want! Let me know whenever you want to leave."

     With a wave, which Otto responded to by waving back at him, Dandy was off to the floor again just as a [third song came on](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_DW-wjc9Sw).

     As soon as he was certain Dandy couldn't hear him, Otto murmured just before he continued drinking, "Dandy, you're one strange man..."

     It wasn't difficult at all to spot the rather tall man the entire time he was out there, swaying and spinning around so much that the man in the monocle could be a ballerina. Once in a while, Dandy would dance with one or two other people on the floor, and other moments he danced solo. He was really enjoyed himself out there. Otto's mind wondered exactly how often he did this routine and whether if this was _the_ place he came for fun. Dandy must have felt his eyes on him, for the man turned his head to where he sat and waved, beaming at him.

     Hesitantly, Otto raised his hand and then waved back. He still didn't feel open enough to stay out there with Dandy, but maybe someday once he felt more comfortable with the concept.

     For now, the ex-professor chose to watch his assistant enjoy himself on the dance floor.

 

 

* * *

 

 

     "Well, I'm going to bed now," Otto announced as soon as he and Dandy stepped inside. "I'll start fixing that parking meter of yours in the morning."

     "Great!" He watched Otto open the door to his bedroom, then he asked, "Are you going to give me a kiss after our successful date?"

     " _What?_ "  
     "Kidding~..."

     "Very funny," he muttered; however, he paused just as he was going to go in his room and close the door. Otto coughed in order to clear his throat whilst a hand went to his glasses to fix them. "Thanks for taking me out, Dandy. Goodnight."

     He grinned but didn't say something which would further fluster his friend. "Goodnight."

     Otto went into his bedroom and carefully shut the door behind him. Tonight was interesting. Was this what it was like to have a friend...to be out and about at places like that while drinking stress away? Possibly.

     ...he was lucky to have Dandy be the first person to come to him, and the person to become his assistant in his science work. Perhaps, the two of them would go far and create things which the world never saw before.

 

 

* * *

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

     The first thing Otto asked upon seeing Dandy carry in a broken parking meter was: "How did you even manage to grab that thing?"

     "It was pulled out of the ground when I found it," Dandy replied, shrugging.

     "Huh. Well, okay. Put it on my work desk."

     The tall assistant immediately trailed to Otto's cleared desk and laid the meter with care. "I'm guessing how long it'll take to fix it depends on the damage, right?"

     "Exactly. Is there a hurry?"  
     "No, I was wondering if I should wait here while you do it or go shopping for a bit."

     He blinked. "Shopping?"

     "For a hat," he gave a bit more info for Otto. "I've been meaning to get one for a while."

     Otto let himself smile a little whilst asking him, "Is there a hat that's good enough for you, Mister Nineteenth Century?"

     He huffed; although not from being offended, but rather finding Otto's comment amusing, "There could be. There's such a thing as specialty shops for good tastes such as mine. Want me to pick you up some things as well?"

     "For me? Don't you think you spoiled me enough yesterday?"  
     "Not really. I took you out yesterday because you've never done that before. What I'm doing now is kind of an errand. I can surprise you with something~..."

     Otto, meanwhile, was beginning his inspection of the meter's outer layer. Hm, not a dent. Guess it was the inside which needed repairs. "Go ahead, if you'd like. Have fun shopping."

     "Thanks again for doing this, Otto. See you later! I'll call if I'm gone long!"

     He looked back up in time to see Dandy leaving the lab, and then he paid attention back to the broken item in front of him.

     And then, that was when something strange started happening.

 

* * *

 

 

     Dandy came back within an hour, dragging in two parking meters. "Otto?"

     "You're back from shopping?" Otto looked up, pausing from the tweaking of a broken piece inside of the open meter for a moment; however, he noticed the new meters casually being held by his assistant. "...you want me to fix those, too?"

     "...could you?"  
     "Sure. Lay them on the table by the computer."

     "I decided to hold off shopping after I found these," Dandy confessed as he did what Otto told him.

     He cocked a brow at Dandy, honestly not understanding why he was beginning to bring these parking meters to him in the first place. "Okay?"

     Thirty minutes later, he finished the first meter, and then he fixed the other two parking meters by dinner (which Dandy offered to make). Otto wanted to question where on earth he kept finding these broken meters and why Dandy wanted him to repair them so badly. Was there some type of secret which the old fashioned man hid from him? Who knows. The meters possibly meant something to him in whatever way.

     And then, Dandy kept bringing a meter or two at least once every two weeks; however, Otto kept on forcing himself not to get peeved or question why the hell were all of these meters being broken -- and in the _same manner_! Geez, Dandy was lucky that he had nothing else to do still. How long was this "fix a meter" thing going to last?

     About _one more month_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

     "I'm going out, Otto! I think I'll get us some dinner while I'm out, so don't worry about cooking us anything."

     Otto, meanwhile, was finishing the latest meter which Dandy dragged into his lab. God, how he was tired of seeing this green thing. "Alright. Have fun."

     Dandy smiled. "I will. Promise I won't bring any meters this time. I know you're getting sick of them."

     He'd be absolutely right. He's a scientist, damn it, not a mechanic!

     Once again, Dandy left for his shopping trip.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

     The door opened, and then slammed shut.

     Jesus, please let him not have another meter. He _promised_...

     "Otto."

     What?

     Otto, assuming that he probably bought one more damn meter anyway, immediately start speaking, "Dandy, if it's another parking meter, then--"

     "I found someone," Dandy was quick to interrupt him, his voice filled with worry.

     Dandy came to the open room, carrying a small, childlike form in his arms, a hat now on his head. This was the first time Otto ever saw Dandy appear so serious, and what was even more interesting was what he said next.

     "Bert's a humanoid, and...and..."

     Otto's thought rung out, ' _Humanoid? An actual humanoid...?_ ' His eyes shot down to the humanoid boy as Dandy choice to walk up to him. By the look of it, the humanoid's left section of his head was missing the shell, allowing sparks and wires to spring from him; additionally, there was a similar situation going on with his arm.

     "You need to help him. Please. For me?"

     Parts of him was still registering the fact that Dandy had found a humanoid -- _an actual humanoid!_ \-- and brought him to his lab, whilst the other section of his mind knew that he should act fast and help this boy -- whose name was Bert, apparently -- and Dandy.

     "Put him on the table. I'll work on him right now."  
     "...thank you..."

     Otto noticed the look on Bert's unconscious face -- vulnerable, scared, and in pain. What on earth did this poor kid go through? "...you're welcome."

 

 

* * *

 

 

     "Aren't you going to ask how I found him?"

     Otto paused from zapping and repairing the wires of Bert's arm for a moment to answer. "Not if you don't want me to know the details." He went back to concentrating on his arm.

     "He was actually in front of the house when I got back from shopping. He could hardly talk and was slipping in and out of consciousness."

     He furrowed his brows. Weird...

     For the next few minutes, there was nothing but silence as Dandy passed Otto whatever he needed to patch up the humanoid on the operation table.

 

 

* * *

 

 

     It was seven in the evening when Otto was completely finished with the emergency repair.

     Otto finally said something which brought a wash of relief over Dandy, "He should be fine now. I was able to completely restore the parts which were severely damaged."

     "Thank God," Dandy sighed out.

     He glanced to him for a second. Dandy was genuinely worried about Bert this entire time. Sure, there could be a chance that Dandy was a caring person even to strangers; however, that didn't stop Otto from wondering if he might have known the humanoid child prior to today. God, that shimmering look in Dandy's eyes was hiding something! Otto gazed to the still unconscious child. Should he try waking Bert up?

     Otto gingerly reached out a hand and brushed it against the humanoid's bare forehead which had been covered by the hoodie he wore. All of a sudden, Bert shot up and shouted...

     ...well...

     " _ **@!#@!**_ "

     Did the humanoid...swear in his face for no apparent reason? Well, he _thought_ that was a swear. It sure seemed like one. Otto stood there, stunned and his hand frozen in the air whilst Bert hopped off the table to pull his hoodie on. Dandy, in the meantime, didn't seem as fazed by the outburst.

     "That..." Otto found his voice, saying, "was unexpected."

     While Bert huffed and puffed to himself, Dandy asked his partner, "Otto, could he stay with us? He told me that he doesn't have a place of his own..."

     "Sure." He shrugged. "I can't let him go if that's the case. He's still a kid."

     Again, Dandy said sincerely, "Thanks, Otto."

     And that was how Bert Gotrax joined the group.

 

* * *

 

 

**It was now one month later -- February.**

 

* * *

 

 

     "Hey, Otto?"  
     "Yeah?"  
     "Ever been in love before, or had a crush on anyone?"

     Otto stopped typing at the computer in order to turn around and look at the other man. "...why are you asking?"

     "Valentine's Day," was Dandy's response, "it's coming around the corner."

     He hummed. "We've been together for four months and yet this is the first that I've heard you mention anything about romance."

     Dandy smiled at that. "I know. I can't help myself, Otto. The thought of falling in love, being together with that special person...they fog my mind whenever February arrives. Sometimes I start wondering what it's like to be with that perfect someone." His voice softened, "It must be nice..."

     Taking off his glasses to rub at his straining eyes, Otto stood. "Would you really want to be in a relationship?"

     "Yeah, I wouldn't mind that."  
     "...I see."

     Dandy fiddled with the frame of his monocle, continuing, "A stunning young lady who's sweet as sugar, sharp as a needle, lovely as a flower -- things like that. She could like the same things like me...you know, dancing, for example, or antiques. That's my ideal Valentine." He sighed, his smile not fading from his gorgeous face, before he sat against one of the many tables in this laboratory. "I'd be happier than I've ever felt before."

     His lips pressed together into a thin line at the other man's words, something which Dandy noticed.

     "Otto?" He blinked.

     "It's nothing," Otto shrugged off both Dandy and his physical reaction to what the tall man said a few seconds prior. He finally finished rubbing at his eyes -- God, they've been rather bothersome lately -- and took a moment to replay Dandy's love for Valentine's Day and whatnot. "All those things though," he couldn't help but ask, "that's what you're looking for in a 'perfect someone'?"

     Dandy nodded with his smile still present. "It is."

     The ex-professor fell silent. Why was he reacting this way? Was he _jealous_ of Dandy, and in what _manner_?

     Damn it, he's weird...as if he was unaware of that fact already.

     When he noticed how Dandy was worriedly staring at him, wondering if he had upset him somehow, Otto waved it off, saying, "Well, hope you'll get your wish this year. She might not show up on Valentine's Day since it's tomorrow and all, but better late than never."

     The gentleman's smile returned, this time much wider. "Maybe."

     Suddenly, Bert stepped into the lab, stuffing his tiny hands into his hoodie pockets. "Dandy, the bus is gonna be here in five minutes if you wanna visit that dumb antique shop."

     "Oh, right. I forgot!" Dandy turned to Otto as he asked, "Is it okay if I got off early today? I'll make up for it."

     As Otto slipped his glasses back on, he answered simply, "No problem. I wanted to take a break from our 'droid anyway."

     "I'll try finding something for you. Thanks again!"  
     "You don't have to. Just have fun out there with a store full of your people."

     Dandy scrunched his nose, offended at the last sentence. "I'm _not_ old. I just act like it sometimes."

     Bert spoke up just as Dandy began heading towards the doorway, "I'll meet ya outside, Dandy. I've gotta ask something from the nerd."

     As soon as Dandy left, Otto inquired, making sure to call him a name because of the 'nerd' remark, "What is it, little troublemaker?"

     "I was wondering if you know anything about video games."  
     "Let me guess...you want me to repair a bunch of arcade machines? Dandy pulled a similar thing with parking meters around the time we met you."

     "Nah, that's not it." He shook his head. "I just thought that maybe you've worked on some before, y'know, program them?"

     Where the heck was this coming from?

     Otto sat back against the counter, crossing his arms loosely at the boy in front of him. "Yes, it was called ' _Berzerk_ '. I did a bit of programming in that. So," he shot a question, "what's the reason you wanted to know?"

      He grinned. "I'm gonna play it while Dandy's taking his sweet time in the antique store. Maybe I'll beat the thing!"

     "I...don't think that's a good idea--"  
     "Gotta go now. See ya, science guy!"

     Otto sighed heavily as Gotrax darted out of the house with a wave over his shoulder. "You know for your sake, I hope you don't beat it...for, uh," he muttered, "reasons."

 

* * *

 

 

     "I've never seen you around here before. Are you new to the city?"  
     "Um...y--yeah, I am."

     As Bert stepped onto the bus, he spotted Dandy sitting at a side seat with somebody, starting a conversation with them. Damn, Dandy sure was a talkative guy. With a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head, the young kid joined the two, sitting beside Dandy whilst the chatter continued.

     "Well," Dandy told the person, "I hope you have a nice time."

     "Thank...you?" They blinked whilst they adjusted the hefty plastic case on their lap.

     From where the trio sat, Otto's house was in their line of vision, and because of that, Bert was able to see Otto staring at the bus from his room window. Otto noticed Bert staring and made a small wave. Bert waved back with a grin as the bus began to slowly drive off.

     ...he was _totally_ gonna nail ' _Berzerk_ ' and tell Otto about his success when they got back.

 

* * *

 

 

     "Huh...forgot his pocket watch."

     Otto plopped down into his lab chair, one hand examining the golden pocket watch which belonged to the gentleman, while his other hand whipped out a novel from the desk drawer to his right. He pressed open the hatch of the cold-to-the-touch watch. Wow, this was a vintage, that was for certain. Roman numerals greeted him rather than the standard numbers, the middle of the watch had a hole, giving the viewer a sneak peak of its insides, and the wearing colour of its background was easy to see.

     In Dandy's hands, it looked so small; however, it was the opposite whilst it sat in his own.

     "That man is a mystery to me," he said above a whisper, although he hadn't a clue why that came out of him.

     Honestly, Dandy's unusual gentlemanly manner wasn't weird, it was a part of who he was. For some reason or another, his soul was attached to a timeline that had long passed. The theory that, perhaps, this man was some kind of time traveler crossed his mind. He wished.

     Otto's eyes glanced to the blackened computer screen, seeing his pathetic reflection staring back. "You know something? You're weird thinking about him so much."

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

* * *

 

**_[01001000 01100101 00100000 01101110 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101011 01101110 01100101 01110111 00100000 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01100110 01100101 01101100 01110100 00100000 01101100 01101001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01101000 01110101 01101101 01100001 01101110](http://binarytranslator.com/)_ **

 


	2. Daisy Belle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things have changed since Otto hired Dandy as his assistant. A young humanoid boy joined their family, for one thing -- another thing to occur was the appearance of a stunning young woman who has charmed Dandy (something that he began to wish for around Valentine's Day). Perhaps it's because of boredom or because of the books he's read, but Otto soon finds himself wanting to create something unique, and he's going to place himself as the practice dummy before his vision worsens.
> 
> We've seen the ascend, and now it's time for the descend. Will things get better? Only time will tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CREATIVE CHAPTER TITLES!1!

* * *

 

     "Aah...home sweet home~..."  
     "Dandy, you've said it eight times already."

     The tall man spun around to look at Bert, tucking his long arms behind his back. "Sorry you can't appreciate these charming things, Bert. Run along to the arcade for a bit while I continue looking around the store."

     Bert sighed through his nose at this. Seriously, he would've left the tiny store an hour ago, but he wanted to see if there was anything cool that he'd get. Sadly, no toys, no weird/creepy items to hang on his wall...just junk an old person would enjoy. His eyes glanced about the separate sections of the decorated area, nothing capturing his full attention. "Okay," he replied, shrugging. "Have fun being with 'your people', Gramps."

     "You sound like Otto," he huffed.

     "What can I say," Bert laughed out as he turned to find the exit, "I like the nerd."

     He quirked a brow. "I wouldn't say he's a _nerd_ , but..."

     Ah, anyway, now he could finally browse, sigh dreamily, and experience the feeling of longing without hearing Bert complain about how bored he was becoming the longer they stayed in the shop. Dandy, with bliss coming back to his body, strolled through and by each and every row. Furniture, ooh! Decorations, wow! Bibbles and bobbles, golly! Two things came to his mind as he grabbed whatever caught his eyes: one, good thing he had money on him; and two, he's glad the asking prices weren't extreme like he had seen at other antique stores.

     A smile crept to his handsome face as he rubbed a finger over the smooth, black glove. Possibly as an accessory for it, the top of the glove had a lovely red rose and a ribbon attached to it. Hmm, seven dollars didn't sound bad, so he grabbed them from the shelf they sat upon and placed them on top of the Jules Verne novel and cane he collected in his arms.

     Soon, he reached a lot which sold records which immediately made Dandy rush over to the crates to see if there were any that had his interest in mind.

     Dandy sat the items to the side and ran his slender fingers across the top of the records, digging through recent records, records from a decade or two ago, and finally--

     "Hm?" He whipped out the orange record cover and then read what it said. " _Daisy Bell_..."

     His chest fluttered wildly as soon as that title passed his lips whilst his body shivered ever so slightly. This was a rather old song, and one in which he remembered hearing! But where? Where had he heard the song? Lord, his heart pounded faster, feeling alert while he turned the record in his hands, trying to see if anything else on this sparked a reaction. When nothing happened, Dandy checked the price of the record - eight dollars? Rather cheap for a vinyl record, but he sure as hell wasn't going to complain. Who would?

     "I think there was a record player near the cashier desk..." Dandy mumbled out loud. "Otto was worried about me not having anything in my room anyway, so why not."

 

 

* * *

 

 

     Upon learning what the name was of the bouncing yellow ball he currently tried to avoid in the game, Bert couldn't help but grin from the amusement of it all. "Evil Otto? No wonder Otto didn't say much about the game."

     A robotic voice from the game sounded, _[[ Intruder alert! Intruder alert! ]](https://youtu.be/BnPfiFxkEm8?t=11s)_

     Bert ignored the fitting music blasting over the arcade speakers as his right hand rapidly smashed at the firing button and his left twisted and turned the joystick. His eyes remained on the screen and witnessed the onslaught of robots he shot. Otto, the game one, was a sneaky bastard. Bouncin' off the walls, going at him at the an incredible pace whenever Bert successfully killed all 'bots in his sight...

     This was a great challenge for him.

     "Heh, the voice kinda reminds me of Otto too, but more robotic," he commented about the smiling ball of death through the noise. "What, did he get recorded for that?"

     A boy, around thirteen-years of age, went by Bert, warning him with a grin, "Hey man, careful about wanting to win that. Don't wanna fall like the other two."

     Of course, Bert shrugged it off. "Naaah, I'll be fine."

     Right as he said that, two robots ran and instantly killed each other upon impact.

     "...these guys are kinda dumb anyway. No wonder Otto's there."

     The kid who spoke to Bert backtracked, shoving his hands into his heavy jacket. "Let me guess, you have no idea what happened to the other two guys who beat 'Berzerk'."

     "Nope!" Bert shot at the dark cyan robots as he turned down a maze. "Wanna tell me?"

     "Dropped dead, Fred! Evil Otto was pissed, I guess."

     Bert blinked. "Huh." That was all he could say in response to that. They both died upon beating the game? That's either coincidence or this game was possessed...didn't help that he knew someone who worked on it...

     ...the same person whose name and possibly voice were used for this-- _stupid fucker who won't leave him the hell a **lone** **@!#@!**!!_

 _"_ @!#@! _"_ Bert incoherently swore in the form of -- what it could be described as -- squawks. The boy behind him, of course, darted off from the weird sound.

Aaaand there went the last of his lives. Bert, after quickly digging through all of his pockets without success, realized he used the last of his spending change, huffed and left the arcade. Eh, it was getting late anyway.

     "Bert! There you are!"  
     "Hey Dandy. Got some loot?"

     The tall man beamed happily, his arms occupied with the medium-sized box in his arms. "Quite a bit. Ready to go?"

     Bert sniffed as he nodded. "Yeah."

 

 

 

     During the bus ride home, Bert noticed how indulged Dandy was with his goods and was somewhat curious about them himself. Right now, for example, Dandy dug out a vinyl record and began to stare at it; although, he looked a bit too fascinated with the thing. Bert leaned to his right in order to peer up at the man and inquired, "You got a record? Something good?"

     "Well, to me, yes," was his response, nodding as well. "Something happened when I was looking at this, and I'm not sure why."

     "Maybe 'cause ' _Daisy Bell_ ' is a pre-tty old thing like you are."  
     "I'm not old!"  
     "Okay, so maybe it's because it's a 'romance' song. You were talking about how obsessed you are with being in love or whatever this morning, weren't you?"

     No, that wasn't it. The words "Daisy Bell" stirred something inside him so easily, the feeling left him aflutter, wanting to be held by somebody who flashed in his mind. Heck, it happened just now! He was seeing things! Dandy shook his head as a method to clear his mind, though feeble of an attempt it was.

     "Well, I mean," he stammered, trying to explain himself to the humanoid beside him, "there's more to it than that. I probably remember someone or something with this song."

     "Ooh...I get it man. Your whole 'memory problem' you told me about. Hope that's it then for your sake."  
     "...me too..."

     Could it be? Could it be he associated this song with a...

     _...a beloved one from his past?_

     The thought of having a lover this entire time caused the air in his lungs to expel whilst he flopped himself back against the hard bus seat. A lover? A...lover...for Valentine's Day might come true after all!

     "Hey, Dandy?"  
     "Hmm~?"

     Bert scrunched his face at the gleeful sounding sound coming from him, but he still bothered questioning, "Ever heard of a game called ' _Berzerk_ '?"

     Dandy blinked. "Yes? Otto told me that he worked on that game when he was younger. They even used his name and voice for the Otto character. Why are you asking?"

     He hunched over and gestured Dandy with a hand to come closer to him, as soon as the tall gentleman leaned down, Bert whispered, "Heard about what happened to the two guys who beat that game?" When Dandy shook his head in response, he simply made a slicing movement across his neck, causing Dandy to raise his brows.

     "Really...?"  
     "Cross my heart that's what I heard. Evil Otto is a sore loser, apparently."  
     "And why are you telling me this?"

     He shrugged his tiny shoulders. "Interesting factoid about the nerd at home. Think he might've done something to...?"

     " _No_ ," Dandy sternly said. "Why would he?"

     "Well, I mean, you're right. It could've just been a freaky coincidence. Can't see Otto doing something @!#@!ed up like that."  
    "...you know, you never did tell us how you make those squawks when you swear..."

     Bert grinned. "I'll explain when the time comes."

     "Um, okay." Anyway, back to gushing about the high possibility that he already _had_ a special someone in his life! Oh please, sub-conscious mind, bring something up to the conscious state about " _Daisy Bell_ "!

 

 

* * *

 

 

_**Daisy Belle** _

 

* * *

 

 

 

     Bert flopped forward on the beanbag chair with scrunched eyebrows as he flipped through another Valentine's Day special of a cartoon. God, the second one in a row of three! Valentine's Day wasn't even a good holiday, anyway! Why on earth should he care about a holiday for lovers -- heck, why should anybody care?

    Oh, right. Dandy wouldn't shut up about it, even though he was currently single and kept reminding everyone in the house _that's fuckin' why_!

    His eyes glanced over to the hallway out of curiosity. Those two were probably doing science-y things in Otto's laboratory already.

    ...wait, where's that pop music coming from?

    He climbed out of the cushy seat and decided to investigate.

 

 

* * *

 

    "Hey Otto~..."

    The ex-professor looked away from the computer a second to see Dandy staring down at him hopefully while [Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"](https://youtu.be/lRUtST_dpRE?t=1m3s) blared its peppy tune, Otto questioned, "Are you trying to tell me by playing that song, Dandy?"

    "Well, since I don't see anybody else here..." Dandy replied with a smile then offered a hand out to the other man.

    Otto had gotten used to Dandy asking him to dance whenever they went out to that joint of Dandy's over the five/six months of being together, so he pretended to be hesitant while he removed his glasses and sat them beside his computer before being dragged to the center of the laboratory and into a dance. He was spun about for the most part, and he was certainly thankful that he didn't get sick from doing so. Still, he secretly enjoyed doing this with the man who practically towered his frame.

    "Let me guess," Otto spoke up through their dance, "you would do this with your ideal woman, wouldn't you?"

    Dandy immediately chimed out, "Of course I would!"

    Otto yelped as soon as he was twirled yet again; although he was lifted a few feet off the floor in the process which caused the assistant to grin at the sound.

    "Ah, oh well..."  
    "...'oh well' what?"

    He spun Otto once more. "Another Valentine's Day is here and yet I don't have a Valentine of my own. Maybe I'll have one in the future like you said; plus, that record's telling me things like that too!"

    ' _Here we go again..._ ' Otto thought with annoyance.

    "I mean, I kept listening to it and saw flashes of me being with someone. It might have been a courtship!"  
    "Really?"  
    "Sure seems like it."

    Upon noticing Otto's eyes averting him, Dandy frowned before turning his employer in a twirl. It was concerning, really. Otto got like this last night when he was talking about his "what if I had a lover and just plum forgot" chatter. Gracious, was Otto jealous that he could've found someone? He couldn't find the encouragement to question the ex-professor but wished he did, for at times, he still lacked the idea about what went on in Otto Mozer's mind.

    "Sorry," he apologized to Otto, "you're probably going to get sick of me talking about romance, aren't you? Especially since today's the biggest holiday for romance."  
  
    His eyes snapped up. Otto almost lost his voice, but he quickly recovered it and answered, "...it's fine."

    "Otto?"  
    "Yeah?"

    "Are your eyes okay?"

    He looked up from the floor to Dandy's face. "What do you mean?"

    Dandy fell silent, his eyes scrunching meanwhile, and then he answered, "The colour of them looks weird. They're kind of a clear, I mean."

    Oh.

    They stopped dancing altogether.

    Otto pulled himself out of Dandy's hold as he explained simply, "My eyes have gotten a crappy from some things, that's all. I'm fine, Dandy."

    He was quiet again.

    Whelp, dance was over. He walked back over to his workstation, his back facing Dandy, and picked up a clipboard as soon as he reached the metal surface. Otto turned back around to face the fancy man. "By the way, I came with an idea for a new project for us...something which doesn't involve me fixing various parking meters for whatever reason. Want to hear about it?"

    The gentleman raised a brow at how Otto seemed to be changing the subject or at least trying to; however, he chose not to question him. "Sure?"

    "I've written it down on here," he said, gesturing to the clipboard in one hand, "since it's pretty shaky in detail. Basically, it's a visor which serves as an aid for people with weakening sight or no sight; additionally, I was thinking along the lines of adding a laser somewhere on the visor for defensive purposes. Thoughts?"

    "Where did you get such an idea?" He blinked.

    "I read during my breaks and got inspired by a few of them."  
    "And it's to help people with vision problems?"  
    "That's one of my purposes for making this."

    Dandy bit the inside of his lip upon hearing his reply. This was obviously a hint that he would probably need to make that for himself because those clear-coloured eyes were not natural, and neither were Otto's like that until recently. In fact, he spotted Otto rubbing at his eyes quite frequently over the months. What was wrong with him?

    "That's...fascinating."  
    "Is there something wrong, Dandy?"  
    "Can I be honest?"

    Dandy doesn't like it much? Doesn't he get how much of an improvement this would be for people?

    Otto slowly nodded. "Yeah, you can."

    "I feel like that there's another reason why you're making this visor thing," he confessed to him. "You even said it yourself -- your vision has been acting up more."

    "Besides helping people suffering from various visionary complications and adding a laser in it for defensive reasons, there isn't 'another reason'."  
    "Are you sure?"

    Again, the ex-professor nodded.

    They said nothing to each other for a moment while the singing from Dandy's portable radio continued on with [another song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr2b1AS4p2c) regardless. The tall man's eyes glanced over to the radio and then back to Otto. He gingerly held out his hand once more.

    He asked Otto, "Still feel like dancing? This one's pretty slow though--"

    "Only because today's a holiday for you," Otto replied and took Dandy's hand in his, and then he was pulled to the center of the floor for another dance.

    "Even though I don't have a lady, you'll suffice as my dance partner until then~..." Dandy spoke up through the music.

    He furrowed his brows at that comment, feeling a bit offended oddly enough. "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "You know, the two of us can dance together like this until I get together with someone."  
    "..."

    Dandy blinked, taking notice of how Otto's eyes darted away from his stare. "Otto?"

    "About that whole 'ideal woman' thing you keep talking about...would that make you happy than you are now, Dandy? Just curious."  
    "Well, to be honest, I guess I would be. Romance is another thing I'm into, next to dancing."

    Otto was about to say something else; however, the sound of coughing from feet away caught his attention. Dandy looked to the left where the door was and spotted Bert standing there, backpack slung over his shoulder.

    "Oh my God, could the two of you be any gayer..." was the first thing Bert said to the two of them, "not that I mind or whatever. It's just...you're listening to one of the sappiest songs _ever_."

    Otto immediately pulled himself away from Dandy, clearing his throat before shooting his hands to fix his tie. "Dandy wanted to dance, so why deny him of it, Bert?"

    "You looked like you were enjoying it too, Ottie."  
    "...I'm not going to deny _nor_ confirm that."

    Dandy asked the humanoid kid, "Are you going out?"

    Bert nodded whilst shifting his backpack. "Yeah, remember? You said you were going to take me out later today. I'm hitting up the arcade until you're done with your work."

    He blinked. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot."  
  


    "Actually, Dandy can go with you right now."  
  


    Dandy glanced to Otto. "Are you sure you're okay with that? I left early yesterday and feel like I need to make up for it."

    The ex-professor shrugged simply. "Don't see why I wouldn't be. Maybe you'll find that special someone while you're out."

    He immediately beamed a smile at him. "Thanks, Otto!"

    Bert watched the seven foot tall man pull Otto into his arms for a quick hug, immediately making a fake gagging sound at the sight. "Get a room..."

    "Want me to get you anything sweet for today, Otto?"  
    "N--no thanks."

    Alright, Dandy was getting way too close for comfort for him, but Otto didn't have a polite way of telling the man to stop hugging him. He was being friendly! Sure, this wasn't the first time he was hugged by him, but he still wasn't used to the gesture.

    " _Okay_ , I'm getting out of here before you two kiss," Bert spoke up. He turned to exit the room with a wave, "See you later, dads."

    Bert froze in place, suddenly realising what he had called them; Otto and Dandy noticed the slip-up as well.

    A small grin came to Dandy's face as he slowly approached Bert who was busy covering his head with his hoodie from embarrassment. "What was that?"

    “N–nothing,” he snapped.

    “No no, I could’ve sworn you called us something that starts with a ’d’…”  
    “Yeah, I called you 'dorks’.”  
    “Oh no, I’m pretty sure you called Otto and I your dads~…”  
    “I am _leaving_.”

    He was quick to trail behind Bert, grabbing his top hat off the coat rack. “Aww, come on. There’s nothing wrong with us being your parents.”

    “Dandy…” Bert’s voice was heard growling down the hallway.

    “I’d be glad to have you as my son. We could be a cute family–”  
    “ _@!#?@! STOP IT!_ ”

    The front door soon opened and closed, followed by the click of the lock.

    Otto simply stared where the two were standing, and then he slipped his glasses back on. “Well, that was an interesting slip-up.” His eyes gazed over to the clipboard where his plans were scribbled out then he blinked trice in order to clear his vision. He had planned to type a bunch of nonsense on his computer, but he decided to take a seat at his workstation and resting his head upon folded arms. “I guess I wouldn’t mind being called that. Not like I have a family of my own.”

    There sat a tiny mirror to the left of the desk which captured his attention. His eyes were nearly clear, just like Dandy had pointed out earlier. Was the computer screwing with his eyes? Was it some of the material in his laboratory doing this? He wasn’t certain, but he knew it was almost too late. His vision was indeed damaged.

    Ah, but, it was better to forget about it for the time being, for today was a holiday.

    He reached down to open a drawer of his station then whipped out one of his favourite science-fiction books to read. Perhaps he could get another idea from reading it once he was completed with his visor, something which he needed to complete before his eyesight worsened.

    “I hope you have fun today, Dandy,” he mumbled before he began reading.

 

 

* * *

 

 

    Bert twisted and turned the control stick of the arcade game, keeping his eyes only focused on the orange creature who had to jump on a square block without touching the curly purple monsters. "Wanna try after me?"

    Dandy was to his side, a hand absentmindedly on the other arcade machine's board, watching Bert play away. "No thanks. I'm horrible at games."

    "You say that every time we come here!"  
    "It's true though..."  
  
    "C'mon, give it a try--" At that moment, Q*Bert ran into a Coily and squawked out one of his weird "curse words" in the form of unintelligible sounds. Bert made the exact same noise under his breath before turning to look at Dandy. "Just...not this one. It kinda sucks. At least it doesn't kill people if you beat it though."

    Dandy began to walk off all of a sudden.

    "Hey! Where are you going?"  
    "To that sweets shop next door. They're having a Valentine's Day special."  
    "Oh. Thought you were leaving because you didn't like me mentioning about that whole 'Evil Otto killed people' thing since it's related to our nerd guy at home."  
    "...that, too."

 

 

 

    The door of the arcade opened and closed upon exiting while Bert stayed beside Dandy, stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets.

    "You're paying, right? Otto doesn't give me my allowance until Monday..."  
    "Of course I'll pay! Can't leave my son hanging."

    "Oh my God," he groaned. "It was a mistake, a mistake!"

    Dandy didn't even attempt to cover his smirk with his hat. "An adorable mistake. Ah, dear Bert...you have no idea how surprising it was to call us your dads!"

    "I hate you."  
    "Love you too~..."

    He heard the humanoid groan even louder as he opened the shop's door. "Come on, I'll get whatever you want. I'll even let you have coffee."

    "Fine," Bert grumbled, huffing past the seven foot tall man.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

    Otto sat back against his seat, observing the old record in his hands. That man wouldn't stop playing the poor thing last night. Even as he began to drift to sleep, he heard Dandy's voice singing along with the male voice on the vinyl.

**_Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built For Two) - Original Phonograph Recording by Harry Dacre_ **

    Dandy played it all this morning while he was in the laboratory until, Otto guessed, he noticed how the repeating song was driving him buts and ended the marathon of _Daisy, Daisy_ etc. Regardless if it sounded so worn and scratchy, the old fashioned man loved it. He wouldn't ever tell him this, but Otto soon found it somewhat endearing to hear him sing under his breath whenever it got to "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do".

    "...I better put this back."

    He rose then stalked off to put Dandy's dear record back in his bedroom.

 

 

* * *

 

 

    "Does all of this stuff have to be so pink...?"  
    "Now, Bert...nothing wrong with the colour pink. It's Valentine's Day, anyway. Pink is a colour associated with today along with red and white."

    Bert simply sipped at his iced coffee with one hand whilst the other used a spoon to scoop at his pink and white cheesecake.

    “Such a shame I couldn’t have a sweetheart with me today,” Dandy murmured to himself before lifting his own coffee cup to his lips for a taste of the drink.

    “God, why do you care so much about having a romantic tumor just because it’s Valentine’s Day?"  
    “Like I’ve told Otto not too long ago, I’ve been like this every year whenever Valentine’s Day comes around.”  
    "So, what, you want a girlfriend? What happened to those images of someone you kept being a yakker about? Not showing up anymore?"

    "Still seeing them whenever that song plays," he answered him, nodding, "although, I'm still not recognizing any faces and events. Anyway, I've wanted to fall in love since I was in my teens. I can't _help_ but admire the idea of having an intimate relationship!" The gentleman allowed himself to rest his chin onto an open palm, his elbow propped.

    Bert chewed on a piece of cake for a moment, swallowed, and then said, "Try putting your face in one of those dumb ads for single people then. If you can't get any more hints with that 'Daisy Bell' crap, then single ads will have to do."

    "I've tried that before, Bert."  
    "...huh, I shouldn't be surprised by that. I'm guessing people aren't into dudes who are stuck in the eighteen hundreds...must think you're an old buzzard."  
    "... _you_ are an awful son. What would your other dad say if he heard you call me that?"

    "Oh my God, I _said_ I didn't mean to call you guys my dads!" Bert didn't care if he was obviously too loud when he shouted those words at him, neither did he pay mind to the awkward stares they were receiving.

     He hid his smile behind his cup, saying, "I'll bet you'll make that slip again~..."

    "Doubt it," the humanoid child huffed.

    Bert went back to drinking and eating the sweet treats while Dandy took another sip and let his ears listen to the [music playing along](https://youtu.be/D8yvP8tp_JM?t=5s) with the talk of a customer to one of the employees behind the shop's counter. Perhaps he should call Otto to let him know the two of them were coming home soon. He went back to drinking his coffee, the bell hanging from the door ringing twice after a customer left meanwhile.

    Once he and Bert were finished with their treats, Dandy spoke up, "I'm going to call Otto. Could you get some cheesecake for him?"

    "What's in it for me?" Bert got up from his seat, adjusting his hoodie as well.

    "You can get another piece too. Here."

    Bert was handed the money and sent off to the counter; in the meantime, Dandy stepped out to use the phone booth which was located near the end of the street, right where his car was parked. Ah, that cool winter breeze felt lovely; however, it did seem to be a bit strong at times.

    Oh darn, there appeared to be a person at the booth already, and a rather pretty one by the look of her backside. Perhaps he should wait until she's finished with her call.

    Suddenly, she yelped when the wind picked up yet again and knocked the lightweight hat off her head and towards Dandy's direction. On cue, Dandy quickly captured the hat with his large hands in unison to the lady turning around to see where her stubborn hat might have flown off to. As soon as he saw her, Dandy felt his stomach jump. That face, that beautiful face seemed so familiar to him somehow, and...oh God, she stirred something within him.

    She blinked, but then a smile crossed her lips. She hung up the phone and, with one hand carefully carrying the handle of a cake box, made her way over to the blushing man. "Hi there!"

    Jesus, why does she even sound familiar? Could he have known her before today?

    He coughed as a manner to force the lump in his throat to go away. "H--hello." Dandy offered her the hat, saying, "I believe _this_ belongs to you."

    "Nice work catching my hat." The woman with wavy hair which went past her shoulders placed her hat back on, and then thanked him, "I appreciate it a lot. Thank you, Dandy!"

    ...what?

    "Um, what...?"  
    "I said 'thank you' to you, Dandy. I really love this hat, so--"  
    "No no, I mean how did you know my name?"

    "I've saw your face in the papers," was her simple explanation, shrugging. "Under the 'singles' section."

    His face faltered. "Oh." Odd, he could've sworn that was almost a month ago. It was surprising that a total stranger would recognize him from a month old paper.

    "If it'll make things less creepy, though," she offered, "I think I've met you prior to this day. I'm not sure if you'd happen to remember...?" She held out a hand for his, obviously to shake it with her petite one. With a charming smile, she said two words:

    "I'm _Daisy_."

    Daisy...?

    Dandy found himself frozen upon hearing that name. His chest fluttered madly and the familiar chill from yesterday ran throughout his body. Daisy? Daisy?! Daisy as in...like the song "Daisy Bell"? He was reacting to her in a similar fashion to the song! What was going on?! He mentally panicked; however, he stayed calm, collected, and flushed in the face as he slowly reached out and shook Daisy's hand. Unfortunate how he couldn't feel it through his glove...

    Oh, screw it.

    "It's wonderful to meet you. I--I think..." Dandy took a breath to calm his nerves. This could be it! "I think I might know you from somewhere, but it escapes me at the moment."

    Daisy's smile widened. "Don't worry, you'll remember someday."

    He smiled back at her. "I hope so."

    Bert came out of the shop, lugging two tiny cake boxes by their handles when he spotted Dandy chatting up with a woman in a winter dress and matching boots. Both parties were smiling and -- by the look of it -- Dandy was attracted to her. "Oh hell." His eyes went to the vacant phone-booth, knowing it was probably a good idea to go ahead and phone Otto about possibly arriving home late thanks to the nineteenth century man's flirting.

 

 

* * *

 

 

    "A woman?" Otto balanced the phone with his shoulder while he continued examining his left eye in the mirror.

    "Yeah," Bert's voice responded instantly through the other line, "she says she knows Dandy and I guess they're trying to catch up or somethin'. Her name is freaking Daisy, to boot! I think he managed to run into that 'special someone' already! I think she likes him! You know... _like him_ like him?"

    He froze.

    "...Otto? Hey, did we disconnect?"

    The ex-professor sighed through his nostrils as he sat back in his chair. "I'm...here. Sorry. I thought I heard something," he lied. "He sure got a possible girlfriend fast. At least he got his desire fulfilled. That's good, right...?"

    "...you okay, old man?"  
    "Why wouldn't I be? My friend is getting something he's apparently wanted for quite some time."  
    "Just wonderin'. You don't sound enthused, then again neither am I. It's kinda sick seeing him getting all lovey-dovey on freakin' Valentine's Day."

    "Which 'sick' are you using?" Otto crossed his legs as an attempt to keep himself comfortable.

    "Sick as in 'gross'."  
    "I'd probably feel the same way if I were there to witness it."

    There was a knock at the front door. Otto glanced at the phone then to the door of his room.

    "Someone's here. I have to go. I promise to make it up to you for having to deal with Dandy's romancing."  
    "Wicked. See you later, hopefully."

    "Bye, Bert." He waited until he heard the click from the other line before he hung up. Time to check to see who was at his door...

 

 

* * *

 

 

    The door swung open, and just as he was about to say something, Otto paused.

    There stood an older man in a hoodie with a heap of a laptop in his arms. His eyes were looking away until Otto had opened the door.

    The first thing to come out of Otto's mouth was, "Can I help you?"

    "Actually," he replied immediately, "I was about to ask for your help, Mister Mozer..."

    Something didn't seem right about the person in front of him; nevertheless, though, Otto let the man in by moving aside and gesturing him before the late winter wind decided to increase its speed.

    Otto inquired, "How do you know my name?"

    He fidgeted, and then he answered the ex-professor, "I heard about you through a friend of mine. She'll be coming later..."

    He raised a brow at that. "...and, what's your name?"

    "Dee Klatt," Dee pulled down the hoodie, showing their face entirely to the man. "Um, I'm sorry that this is really awkward, but She'll talk to you about it whenever She shows up."

    "Are you an assassin?"  
    " _No_ , definitely not! I would never kill anybody!"

    "So could you at least tell me how you got here and why?" He leaned against the wall, waiting for some type of additional explanation from Dee.

    Dee knelt down for a moment to set the laptop down then rose to face Otto who was a few inches shorter than them. "I know Bert. He was staying with me for a while, but then we had to split for a while because of me."

    "Let me guess, he contacted you recently with my address and you decided to finally come get him."  
    "Well, that's sort of right...the only problem is that I _can't_ take Bert back with me."

    Otto blinked at them. "Why?"

    "Our...former house was destroyed by a fire."

    Good Lord, another person losing their house to a fire. First Dandy, now Bert and Klatt.

    "...do you have a place to stay, Dee?"  
    "Uh, just a hotel, but we get a lot of weird stares, so we won't stay there for long--"

    "And you know Bert _Gotrax_ , right?"

    Dee feebly nodded. "Yeah. Little kid who swears a lot, jumps furniture, loves video games...uh, and is a humanoid."

    As soon as Dee mentioned the humanoid part, Otto had a feeling this Dee person wasn't lying about knowing the child. "You can stay here. Bert was already staying with us before you came here..."

    Their eyes glanced from the floor and to Otto. "He was actually supposed to go to Parsec when we needed to split -- not sure why he did something else entirely..."

    "Well," he explained, "maybe it had something to do with him being brought here by Dandy because he was hurt."

    Dee froze, their skin paling. "He was hurt? W--was it bad...?"

    "Kind of, but I managed to fix him. He's better now."  
    "O--oh. I'm glad for that. Thank you! And...thank you for the offer of letting us stay, Otto."  
    "...you're welcome. By the way..."

    "Yes?" Dee blinked, taking the laptop into their arms with ease.

    "Who's Parsec?"  
    "She's the one who'll tell you what's up later."

    Why did Otto have a bad feeling something would happen to him whenever this Parsec woman arrives?

 

 

* * *

 

 

    "Honey, we're home!"

    "Oh my God, Dandy, don't even joke about that," Otto said, stepping out of his room to see a beaming Dandy coming in with Bert behind him. "How was your trip?"

    He practically swooned. "Where do I even _begin_...?"

    Oh Christ. "From the beginning?" He shrugged whilst Bert handed him a cake box. "By the way, Bert," he turned his attention to Bert for a moment, asking, "does a name 'Dee Klatt' sound familiar to you?"

    "...oops."  
    "So it _does_..."

    It was now Bert's turn to ask something, "Are they here?"

    "In my lab right now. Dee's offered to help out once in a while in there."

    The two men watched Bert run into Otto's room/laboratory, and then they chose to converse in the living room while the ex-professor ate his cheesecake.

 

 

* * *

 

 

    "I swear, Otto, I think this is the person I'm having flashbacks of. I got this sense of nostalgia as soon as she gave me her name, the same one I got while I listened to the song!"  
    "Hmm."

    Dandy smiled. "She seems so great. It's a shame I can't seem to recall much of her..."

    "What is she like?" Otto bit into his cake.

    "A total _dream_ ~..."  
    "Uh...how?"

    "She likes dancing," he explained to him, "she's kind and intelligent, and she's actually interested in everything I'm into!"

    He blinked. "Huh."

    "Yeah! Isn't that interesting?"  
    "...I guess."

    "We were actually going to meet up tomorrow," he announced, his smile not fading any time soon. "You could meet her then!"

    Otto quirked an eyebrow. "Meet Daisy?"

    "Yeah, don't you want to?"  
    "...sure, I guess I wouldn't mind, but..."  
    "What?"

    The ex-professor questioned, "You two aren't already deciding to be a couple, are you? You've only met today."

    "At this rate," Dandy answered rather happily, "maybe we _will_."

 

 

* * *

 

 

    "So, I guess you're a permanent member of my lab..." Otto muttered to the open laptop that Dee had brought with them. Dee decided to sit the portable computer beside his desktop after he was given the okay hours ago.

    The words " _yes, I am_ " typed out on the screen. Apparently, this laptop had a name -- Terminal 99. Terminal was a computer who appeared to have a mind of his own; however, there was something unnerving about the computer, but Otto couldn't point it out. He could've sworn Bert mentioned something about "souls" living inside of Terminal. Considering how Dee was apparently a cyborg runaway, Otto thought anything could be possible -- even something like that.

    ...either that or Otto didn't give a shit anymore.

    "Terminal, can I confess something to you?"  
    " _Sure, Mister Mozer._ "

    "I find it hard for me to take all of this stuff in," he admitted to the computer, "I mean, in one day. If you guys would've showed up days or months apart like Bert, then I wouldn't have had a problem with this."

    " _Correction -- there's a total of five of us._   _You haven't met Lady Parsec and Spencer._ "  
    "Spencer?"

    The nearly dark room suddenly brightened feet away from Otto's left side which caused the man to turn in his seat to see the cause of the bright blue light. Otto, to his surprise, saw a blue humanoid figure hovering inches off the floor, holding a shining cube in his triangular-patterned hands. Their eyes met, and the figure smiled.

    "Hi, Otto."  
    "...oh my God. What even are you?"

    Spencer, also known as Spencer AL2, spoke, "I'm artificial intelligence. Nice to meet you."

    Terminal "whispered" to the ex-professor, " _He's the reason why our house caught on fire._ _He's still grounded by Lady Parsec even though it's been a month._ "

    That was when something happened.

    From the darker region of the room, a hand gingerly wrapped its slender fingers around one of Spencer's wrists. He allowed the hand to pull his wrist and glowing cube to his right, showing off the face of another newcomer. Good Lord, Otto knew this thing obviously wasn't human nor was she -- well, this thing seemed it was possibly female -- a cyborg. Could this be a full-blown robot...?

    Otto questioned the new person in his laboratory, "Are you Lady Parsec?"

    "That would be me," She was quick to respond with a small nod. "Thank you for taking care of little Bert, Mozer. I greatly appreciate you doing such a thing. Must have been shocking to have an actual humanoid in your presence."

    "You'd be correct," he said with a wry smile. "Creating a humanoid was a dream of mine back at college."

    "...you're a bit of a nerd, aren't you?"  
    "N--no...alright, yes I am."

    "Well," Lady Parsec waved it off, "nothing wrong with that, I suppose. Speaking of your previous works, plus what you were able to do for our little Bert, Otto..." She suddenly changed subject, "I'd like to make an offer with you. Would you like to hear Me out?"

    An offer? _Oh boy_...

    "What kind of 'offer' are you talking about?"  
    "Take a seat."  
    "Already am, Parsec."  
    "That's _Lady_ Parsec to you."

    Otto mentally rolled his eyes whilst he fixed his pretty-much-useless glasses. "Alright, _Lady_ Parsec."

    Lady Parsec released Her hold on Spencer's wrist finally and began what She desired to say, "Now, don't be alarmed, but we've been watching you for quite some time."

    "Around the same time as Bert being brought here?"  
    "Exactly, now shut up and let Me continue, dear."  
    "..."

    And continued She did.

    "Bert actually called us a bit after you allowed him to stay here with you and Dandy and told us everything which went on. Curious, I asked Terminal to do some background searches on you. Such a shame that university lost you only because you wanted to do an intimate 'science experiment' with a 'Professor Adam Lange' in his office during school hours..."

    Otto felt Spencer and Terminal staring at him. He coughed and glanced away from the two -- granted he wasn't entirely sure if Terminal stared as well.

    "Also," Parsec went on to say, "pretty interesting to know that you were _the_ one who helped with that Evil Otto."

    He sat up in his seat, his eyes turning to look at Lady Parsec. "Excuse me?"

    "Come on, don't play clueless. We're aware of your involvement with 'Berzerk' and the infamous Evil Otto."  
    "...I was only a student programmer for it so I could earn some experience."

    She stared back at him with half-lidded eyes and a look on Her face which read "displeased" all over it. "Terminal, would you be so kind?"

    Everybody glanced to Terminal's blank screen, but then a document popped up in full view. By the date at the top read, this report was from almost nine years ago.

    "A list of every single person who worked on that game is on there -- one of those names being yours, Otto Mozer."

    Another file popped up, this one had two dates rather than one: 1981 and 1982.

    "And here are the official dates of the deaths for the two who defeated Evil Otto's game. This coincidence of what happened to them will leave a scary mark on your little game and your name, don't you think?"

    Otto sighed through his nose and gazed away from Parsec's stare. "And? Your point for all of this is...?"

    "You were the head of the group who decided to name the weird smiley ball after you, you weren't _just_ a programmer."  
    "Again, _what does this have to do with anything_?"  
    "Nothing. I simply thought it would be interesting to have _the_ Evil Otto in My group."

    He decided to roll his eyes for real this time. "I'm not Evil Otto. I'm simply Otto Mozer, Lady Parsec. I might have worked on the damn thing, but assuming I'm the main cause for _two fatalities_ is pushing it."

    "Regardless," She told him, "I would like for you to join us. You seem to have an interest in science, building, and rebuilding. It's something we're going to need for our domination plan."

    "...why am I not surprised that you're aiming for world domination?"  
    "I know, I can be rather obvious, but whatever. I want to make it up to you somehow for assisting little Bert out, along with giving us a place to stay for the time being."

    Otto had an odd feeling that She would kill him if he refused. Would She?

    "Uh...I'll...think about it. It's nearly three in the morning, and I need to get some sleep, so..."  
    "...I understand. You're human; thus, you need _some_ sleep, at least."

    Otto nodded.

    Lady Parsec was about to leave and "sleep" in the living room, but she faced Otto once more. "When you _do_ decide to join My group, small Otto, you might want to rebuild yourself as well. Your human body will only last for so short; plus, I notice there's something odd about your eyes. Probably not a good thing..."

    As She began walking out of his laboratory, Spencer hovered after Her while turning back a bit to wave at Otto and Terminal as well.

    The ex-professor bit at his lip, swiping his glasses from his face. "Even to complete strangers, my eyes don't look well. Great..."

    Terminal beeped to capture his attention. " _Otto? Are you okay?_ "

    When he saw the question displayed in place of those awful documents that Parsec had the nerve to show, Otto answered him, "My eyes? No. Let's say all of the times I've used crappy or no safety equipment is catching up to me and my eyes are the first victims. I'm guessing radiation or chemical burns will ruin me next."

    And those things would not be the only things to ruin Otto Mozer, for there was much, much more to come in store for him and his new friends.

 

* * *

 

 

**to be continued - Fallout  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to re-do quite a few things on here because something happened, so this story took longer to finish than I first hoped. Oh wel..gon throw this out here anyway -- regardless if it's accurate or not  
> thanks for readingx
> 
> also because of said "something" happening, this is going to have three chapters instead of two in order to make up for it


	3. Mystery Woman. Who Is She?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least with Dee and -- if he was desperate -- everybody else here, Otto would have extra help if he needed it what with Dandy going out for the day. No problem! Otto nodded to himself, drinking more of his precious coffee. Hm, needed more creamer. Tastes quite bitter...unlike him.
> 
> ...damn it, human emotions are complicated sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Alternative title is: Otto Is 75% Upset In This Chapter))
> 
> Sorry if the ending for this part seems abrupt. I'll make up for it in the following chapter. I hope that's fine with you guys. :B
> 
> ...at least it's not 10k words in this chapter?

* * *

 

 

 

__ _ “Hello? Are you home, Mister Mozer?” _

_    Unable to hear the distant voice coming from the entrance of the house, Otto continued writing down the blueprint at the cluttered drawing table. The now ex-professor’s eyes squinted; however, he brushed it off as his attempt to concentrate rather than his body telling him to get some sleep. He couldn’t sleep, though, for he preferred working on creating humanoids or whatever came to his mind. _

_    “Mister Mozer…?” The voice grew louder. _

_    Wait, was someone calling him? _

_    He grabbed at the wrist which was about to sketch a diagonal line and waited to hear the voice again. Hmm, maybe he simply imagined things. The sound of somebody approaching the laboratory invalidated that thought. _

_    This was obvious, but, he just now realized he left the damn door unlocked. Must’ve forgotten after checking his mail this morning. _

_    With his back still facing the entrance to his room, Otto heard the person stop at the open doorway. Uh, okay, should he turn around and face the visitor, or--? _

_    “Excuse me, you wouldn’t happen to be Mister Otto Mozer, would you? I’m here for the job that you posted in the papers a few weeks ago.” _

_    Oh shit. Completely forgot about that. In all honestly, he was surprised that a person would answer his need for an assistant around the lab. What on earth should he say? He couldn’t leave the man standing there, staring at his back forever.  _ **_Do_ ** _ something! _

_    He licked at his drying lips, then he turned around to face the newcomer and immediately blinked widely at the person who remained at the doorway. A tall,  _ **_tall_ ** _ man -- probably a whopping seven feet tall or more -- stood there, donning a set of clothes which seemed so...so old fashioned, Victorian ages old. This man even had a monocle! People still wore that? _

_    His eyes trailed up to the stranger’s face. A rather pointy, though not tiny, nose. When the tall man beamed a small smile as a greeting, Otto’s cheeks briefly heated up. If there was something he wasn’t used to, it was complete strangers smiling at him. _

_    “H--hello,” was what spilled from Otto’s mouth while he adjusted his glasses with the hand not gripping the pencil.  _ **_God_ ** _ , he needed to brush up on his social skills. _

_    He quirked a brow at him. “Um, hello.” _

_    “You’re here for the assistant position. Did I hear you right?” _ _   
_ _    “Yes. You’re Mozer?” _ _   
_ __    “...that I am.”

_    “Wonderful!” The man brightened up upon getting the confirmation he needed. “Allow me to introduce myself.” With a nod of his head, he told him, “My name is Dandy.” _

_    Dandy, huh? _

_    Otto nodded back. “It’s nice to meet you, Dandy. To tell you the truth,” he confessed, “I didn’t really expect anybody to answer my ad, so this is a surprise to me; especially since you’re the only one who’s inquired about it.” _

_    “...so...are you going to interview me?” _ _   
_ _    “Well, about that…” _ _   
_ __    “Yes?”

_    “I didn’t think of anything to ask.” _

_    Dandy blinked. “But you need somebody as an assistant to your lab work. Don’t I need some sort of experience in...well, anything?” _

_    “Not really,” he replied, though he wondered if that would bite him on the ass in the future. “I’ll show you how everything’s done until you get the hang of it.” _

_    “Wait, so I’m hired?” _ _   
_ _    “Yes? Do you have any other questions?” _

_    The tall man rubbed at his arm as he hesitantly said, smiling, “Well, yes, just one. I hope what I ask of you doesn’t seem off-putting.” _

_    “Whatever it is,” Otto assured him, “it won’t bother me.” _

_    “Well, due to some unfortunate circumstances, I need a place to stay.” _

_    Otto blinked at Dandy. “That’s all?” When Dandy nodded in response, he questioned, “Where are you staying at the moment?” _

_    His smile faltered a bit. “A hotel nearby. I’ve been staying there for almost a month after a fire broke out at my home.” Dandy shifted onto one foot for a second, and then he stood back in place. "I mean, it's okay if I can't, but I'm hoping to try and get a new home--" _

_    "No, it's okay," the ex-professor interrupted him. "I've got two extra rooms in this house that I don't use, so...you can stay, if that's what you really need to." _

_     That smile which returned to Dandy's face -- it could light up this laboratory if it was possible. _

_     "And you're sure you'd want to work with me? This is where you'll be for the majority of our work." _ _   
_ _    "That's fine." _ _   
_ __    "That's all you need, then. You're hired."

_    He jumped when Dandy took both of his hands into his all of a sudden, but he didn't pull out of his grip like he should have. _

_    "Thank you so much, Mister Mozer!" Dandy said, "I really appreciate you hiring me and allowing me to stay here!" _

_    "You're...welcome," he responded, "and, you don't need to call me a formal name. Just call me Otto..." _

_    "Nice meeting you then, Otto. Can't wait to start working with you." _ _   
_ _    "I...can't wait to work with you, either." _

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

   “Otto? Mister Mozer?”

   Otto blinked, finally snapping out of a flashback from half a year ago and back to the present. Dee Klatt was staring at him from across the kitchen table, the newcomer still in their pyjamas and a cup of coffee in hand. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” he apologized.

   They made a half-smile at Otto. “It’s okay. I was just asking about that android you’ve been working on for the past few months.”

   “Oh, the humanoid?”   
   “Yes.”

   Otto leaned back against his seat, lifting his mug to his lips as well. “It was something I wanted to do while I was working at my previous job,” he explained, “however, the funds were running dry just from planning its design and building the motherboard. Right when my group was about to get some assistance from someone I personally knew, I was fired from the establishment.”

   “That’s unfortunate. What’s the reason, if you don’t mind me asking?”   
   “...personal research with mentioned person I knew.”   
   “Oh.” 

   Without dishing out additional -- and rather embarrassing -- detail, Otto continued on with the main story, “Anyway, I had to wait until I was back on my feet before I could finally begin building the humanoid without worrying about restrictions and funds.”

   Dee blinked. “What were you before this…?”

   “Professor at a university.”   
   “...you were a  _ professor _ ?”   
   “Don’t make that face at me.”

   As Dee averted the minor glare from the man across from them, Dandy entered the kitchen, donned in one of his -- as he proclaimed them as -- “special outing” clothes for the day. The tall man adjusted his crimson vest and then did the same to the black tuxedo jacket over it. “Good morning~!”

   Glad for a diversion in the form of the strange man who just came in, Dee immediately said, “ ‘Morning! Are you going out today, Dandy?”

   Eagerly, Dandy nodded as he got himself some water from the sink. “You were out of the room when I got home, so I’ll tell you now.” He told them while Otto finally turned around in his seat to check him out, “I met this gorgeous lady yesterday. We chatted for a while until she needed to go meet up with somebody,  _ but _ before she departed, she offered to meet up with me today.” A blush spread to his cheeks as he smiled. “I think she might have been someone I personally knew but nearly forgot about.”

   They were about to question how on earth how Dandy forgot about a  _ maybe _ significant other; however, Dee remembered Bert mentioning Dandy having “memory problems”. Perhaps Dandy couldn’t recollect any relationships he had prior to living with here at Otto’s. How much of his memories were gone or unattainable for the gentleman, Dee nor anybody else knew.

   Otto butted into the conversation, “It’s not as though this is a date. You’re just socializing with someone.”

   “Hey now, don’t be like that.”   
   His eyes narrowed. “Like what, Dandy? Realistic about the situation?”   
  
   “Jealous.”   
   “Jealous _how_?”   
  


   Dandy poured the entire glass of water down the hatch without a second thought and neither did it cause him to choke from the action. “You’re jealous that I’m going out with her…” an enigmatic smile crossed his face as he lowered his voice, “instead of  _ you _ .”

   Dee’s stare went to Otto with a raised eyebrow once those words came from Dandy. The ex-professor, with widened eyes and his lips tightening, swerved back in place in his seat as a method to avoid looking at Dandy and his dumb, smug face.

   “In your dreams, old fart,” was all he could grumpily retort before going back to drinking his coffee in peace.

   The tall man’s chest shook from restraining his laughter as he puffed out, “See? Jealous! It’s okay if you don’t want to admit to it in front of Dee.”

    Otto simply flipped a middle finger over his shoulder whilst he continued drinking.

   “Anyway, I should be going now for some last minute prep before she gets here.” With a wave to the two at the table, Dandy departed.

   “...um, Otto?”   
   “...if you’re going to ask me if I truly feel that way, I refuse to answer a question like that.”   
   Dee chuckled. “Never mind then. Wanna change the topic?”

   He glanced to them and inquired, “You wanted to know more about what Dandy and I have been working on?”

   “The humanoid?”   
   “Yes, him.”   
   “Sure.”

   Rising from his seat, his coffee mug now lacking anything in it, Otto informed the newcomer, “You’ll see how much progress we’ve made with him later today along with a visual aid machine I’ve planned on the side. Coffee?”

   “I...don’t really need to drink things,” they confessed, earning a raised brow shot at them. “I’m a cyborg, remember? Eating and drinking isn’t something I have to do.”

   “Would it hurt you if you did either?”   
   “Well...no. I have bodily functions like a typical human.”   
   “Huh.”

    As Otto took hold of the aging coffee pot, he heard the unusual person behind him chuckle out, “You’re not thinking about putting me under to figure out how I’m put together, are you? You might be disappointed.”

   “Nah, not ethical unless you give me your consent. Don’t worry.”

_ Knock knock knock. _

   Before Otto had a chance to say anything else, Dee scooted out of their seat upon hearing knocking at the front door. “I’ll get it, Otto. Be right back.”

   “Alright.” The ex-professor returned to the kitchen table, freshly poured coffee in hand.

   And simply, he sat there in silence.

   “She’s here?!”   
   “ _Oof!_ ”

   ...well, except for the faint sounds of an overly excited Dandy rushing by Dee in the hallway.

   ‘ _ Far too hopeful about this outing _ ,’ Otto thought. ‘ _ What if she doesn’t  _ **_like_ ** _ him in that manner or even vice versa after this? _ ’ He took a long sip of his coffee, holding his mental commentary temporarily. The man removed his glasses in order to rub at his eye for a second and then continued, ‘ _ Even though I think of him as a dork, I would still feel bad to see him moping around the house if this possible relationship rejuvenation failed. _ ’

   …

   “I’m not jealous about him going out,” he grumbled under his breath. “I’m just a curious person wondering if this even makes sense, not a person with a growing crush on somebody currently fawning over someone else…”

_    Sip. _

   “Besides, he’s taken me out every Friday. He should be going with others if he wants to.”

   At least with Dee and -- if he was desperate -- everybody else here, Otto would have extra help if he needed it what with Dandy going out for the day. No problem! Otto nodded to himself, drinking more of his precious coffee. Hm, needed more creamer. Tastes quite bitter... _ unlike him _ .

   ...damn it, human emotions are complicated sometimes.

   Whilst the scientist/engineer continued drinking, a figure entered the kitchen, arms loosely tied behind their back while the hands held onto a simple sunhat with a daisy pinned to it. Otto couldn’t see them from where he sat, so they cautiously went around the circular table.

   “A-hem...”

   “Can I help you--...?” Otto’s eyes went up immediately upon hearing an unknown woman’s voice. There stood a woman of average height in a long skirt and matching top, both of which had a moderate amount of ruffles on the hems. Her hair was pulled back with something loose; although parts of her wavy hair were pulled in front of her ears. A small smile was on her youthful face.

   The woman spoke, questioning, “You must be Mister Otto, right?”

   He quirked a brow. “Yes…?”

   Her smile widened once she got the confirmation. “It’s nice to meet you then. I’m Daisy.”

   She outstretched her hand to him, her smile still present. Thinking to himself about how the name “Daisy” certainly fit a person who appeared so friendly, Otto rose from his chair and then lightly shook the lady’s hand.

   “So, Otto…” Daisy said, trying to start a conversation with the introvert, “Dandy told me you build robots. Is that true?”

   “You could say that,” he answered. “We’re eighty percent done with a human-like ‘bot we’ve been constructing for half a year.”

   “Oooh~...you wouldn’t mind me seeing what it looks like when it’s done, would you?”   
   “I guess not. About Dandy…”   
   “Yeah?”

   “He told me about you seeing an ad of his in the paper,” he drilled her, “is that true?”

   She nodded once. “Singles ad from a bit ago it was, but…” Daisy lowered her voice, something which made Otto feel suspicious of her, “I think I  _ do _ know him from somewhere else.”   
  


   “Oh?”   
   “Yeah, I can’t  _ explain _ it though. I get bits and pieces of this tall man being with me everywhere, going on carriage rides together...it’s unusual. I haven’t told him that part yet, but I will while we’re out.”

   Oh.

   “Oh.”

   That was when the man of the hour stepped in with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about the wait. I’ve got everything now, Daisy.”

   “No problem, Dandy,” Daisy said reassuringly as she went over to him. “Otto and I were trying to get to know each other a little anyway.”

    “That’s good.” He shot a sincere smile over to the ex-professor. “Thanks again for giving me another day off for this, Otto. You didn’t have to.”

    A thin line returned to his mouth whilst his eyes darted from Dandy’s glance, but he managed to say in a normal tone, “You don’t have to thank me, Dandy. Go ahead and have fun with Daisy.”

   “Okay. Ready to go, Daisy?”   
   “Ready.”

   While Daisy and Dandy were about to leave, Daisy looked over her shoulder at Otto and waved. “Thanks for talking with me, Otto. Let’s do it again sometime!”

   He made a small wave back. “Will do.”

   And off they went, straight out the house with the door shutting behind once they set foot outside.

   Otto allowed his arm to drop, huffing out a sigh as he did so.

   Jealous? Did a part of him felt that way about this?

   No, he shouldn’t be reacting hesitantly about his. Dandy was going to be fine with Daisy. From the minute or two he had with her, Otto knew that, at least, Daisy was nice -- something which Dandy wanted in regards to a “perfect someone”. She’s rather stunning, to boot.

   Letting out an irritated growl, he rubbed at a stubborn eye which wouldn’t leave him alone. As much as he had wished it was an allergic reaction, Otto was aware that rubbing at them would not help his vision clear up…he had to keep up the act that his eyes simply itched, however.

   “Ah, there you are, Little Otto.”

   “ ‘Morning, Lady Parsec.”

   Unsurprisingly, Lady Parsec hovered into the kitchen nonchalantly.

   “Still bothered by your eyes, are you?”   
   “...they’re my allergies.”

   “Mm-hm,” She made a skeptical hum at that. “You know, whether or not you feel as though you are one, you’re still human.”

   “I’m aware of that,” Otto retorted. “Why are you telling me this anyway?”

   “Be _ cause _ , like I told you last night, your eyes don’t appear to be doing well. Dandy has told me you’re working on a visual aid for those whose eyes have weakened or are close to the state of being completely blind.” When Otto’s frown deepened, She continued, “We’re prone to living for a long time, you’re not since you’re in a human body. It’s going to wither as time continues on. Do we  _ really _ need to go over this again, Little Otto?”

   “May we  _ please _ change the subject?”   
   “Have you decided to join us?”   
   “On second thought, let’s switch back to me losing my vision.”

   The Almighty Being quirked an eyebrow at him. “So you finally admit to--”

   “ _ Yes _ ,” he interrupted Her, “I  _ am _ going blind. My health isn’t the greatest since I’m willing to expose myself to whatever without proper lab safety. It’s catching up to me.” He couldn’t find anything else to add onto that, so Otto then shrugged, his shoulders going slump afterwards. “That’s all.”

   She watched him place his -- were they even going to be useful in the future? -- glasses, his eyes looking downwards. “I see. Your careless actions are making a statement to you, and I think I’ll make one as well:  _ build yourself a body. _ It should be easy for you to do so since you have us to help you, should you need it. Who knows how much damage you’ll go through.

   Perhaps this is the only thing that will go, and yet there’s a possibility that next could be your mind, your muscles, your ability to breathe. It would be a shame to lose someone as interesting as you if things become worse, Little Otto. Think on that, at least.”

   The silence lasted for a moment, but then Otto muttered, “Want me to also still consider being a part of your ‘world domination’ thing?”

   “Of course!”   
   “Ugh.”

   “Think of it this way, Little Otto,” She offered him, “although I haven’t brought up the extend of ‘world domination’ to him, Dandy is on board with us, so that’s something to look forward to if you choose to join.”

   Otto, of course, snapped, “What makes you think for one second that I’d come along  _ just _ because he’s planning on doing so?”

   It was Her turn to shrug, smiling. “Because you two seem to like each other, especially on your end. I guess, due to your introverted lifestyle, you’ve never experienced much until he came along. You wouldn’t want to part ways, would you?”

   He faltered.

   “Think on that as well. _I’ll be waiting._ ”

 

* * *

 

 

**to be continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of saying the next chapter will be up "later this or next week", I'll simply say chapter 4 will be up later this month since I don't want to jinx myself.
> 
> ...I swear it won't take me a whole year though. :B


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